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ITU, Asia Broadcasting Union call for action to get more women into
technology and media

‘Women with the Wave’ forum speaker Geena Davis
calls for more female characters, more positive portrayal of girls and women

Geneva, 16 October 2012 – Leaders attending an Asia-Pacific
high-level forum have issued a rallying call for greater participation of women
in media, information and communication technology (ICT) and communications
across the region.

The call came at the end of the two-day
‘Women With the
Wave’ forum in Korea, with delegates urging media industry leaders,
governments and international organizations to work harder to promote greater
female representation in industry workplaces and on the airwaves.

They stressed the need for a gender inclusive media and information and
communication technology (ICT) environment that empowers women and girls to work
in the media and ICT fields across all levels and occupational groups, both on-
and off-screen. They also called for women to be given greater access to
technological and digital platforms, and advocated for a positive,
non-stereotypical and balanced portrayal across all forms of media and
technological platforms.

The forum was one of a number of events leading up to the 49th General
Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) in Seoul. It featured a
keynote speech by Oscar winning actor and advocate Geena Davis, who was recently
appointed ITU’s Special Envoy for Women and Girls.

“The time for change is now, and all of you in this room are powerful agents
of change,” said Ms Davis. I’d like to applaud Asian broadcasters, filmmakers,
Internet stakeholders, academics and others in taking the lead to change the
image of women and girls in ICTs. From Korea’s famous K-dramas to Bollywood
musicals, we need the characters that will inspire tomorrow’s tech-centered
professionals.”

The
final statement issued by the forum paid tribute to the
ABU, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), host organization the
Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), and other participating partners for helping
to highlight the crucial role media plays in promoting women’s full
participation in all aspects of life and society.

“We note that women and girls make up 50 per cent of the world’s population
and that equal rights and opportunity underpin healthy economies and societies,”
the statement says. “We call on all who can assist to recognize the digital wave
now sweeping the world and to join us in supporting the preparation of women and
girls for the opportunities and benefits which the knowledge society is now
bringing to families worldwide, and which will do so even more in the future,”
it concludes.

ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré highlighted his organization’s
strong commitment to harnessing ICTs to empower women, both through improved
access to new technologies and through training opportunities that will help
them pursue a career in the fast-growing ICT sector.

“ITU’s Tech Needs Girls campaign and recently launched annual
Tech Needs Girls
Prize targets girls aged 9-18 at the time when they are forming
opinions and making career choices. Together, the campaign and prize aim to help
them see a connection between tech and their daily lives, gain confidence in
their skills and find fun in ICT. In addition, our comprehensive multilingual
Girls in ICT Portal highlights tech scholarships, training opportunities and
mentorship programmes for girls and women around the world,” he said.

ABU Secretary General Dr Javad Mottaghi said the Union fully supported the
forum’s statement, adding that it would continue to do whatever it could to
promote the cause of gender equality among its 220 members in the Asia-Pacific
and partners worldwide.

“Having more women at all levels in the media and new technologies is not
only morally right but it makes great sense economically,” he said.

The forum issued a nine-point plan of practical action that included greater
effort from media leaders, greater consideration of research on gender bias,
better access to training for women and girls, wider use of resources, more
active promotion of gender equality, and greater cooperation to tackle gender
inequality across the media and ICT industries. It also emphasized the need to
promote women and girls in media and ICT, including developing programming story
lines with women in ICT careers and promoting the Women’s Digital Literacy
Campaign.

Forum delegates called on assistance from intergovernmental agencies such as
ITU, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific (ESCAP), UNESCO and
UN Women, professional associations of broadcasters such as the ABU, regional
training institutions such as the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting
Development (AIBD) and the Asian Media and Information Communication Centre
(AMIC), commercial businesses and foundations, relevant NGOs and tertiary
education institutions, including university journalism and communication
departments.

At its 2010 Plenipotentiary Conference, ITU endorsed the celebration of an
annual global Girls in ICT Day. In 2013, this day will be celebrated on 25
April, with governments, private industry, UN agencies and NGOs encouraged to
invite girls and university students to spend the day at their offices, or
organize ‘shadowing’ programmes with female mentors, so that they gain a better
understanding of the opportunities offered by the ICT sector. For more
information on 2013 activities, contact the team at
girlsinict@itu.int or
via Facebook at: www.facebook.com/TechNeedsGirls

The ABU, which celebrates its 50th
anniversary in 2014, has more than 220 member broadcasters large and small
spread across the region’s 58 countries, from Turkey in the west to Samoa in the
east, and from Russia in the north to New Zealand in the south. Established in
1964 as a non-profit, non-government, professional association to assist the
development of broadcasting in the region, the ABU promotes the collective
interests of television and radio broadcasters and encourages regional and
international co-operation between broadcasters.